The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to an electric brake actuator controller and, more particularly, to force feedback fault detection and accommodation for the electric brake actuator controller.
Modern aircraft utilize electric motors in a multitude of applications; pumps, compressors, actuators, starters, etc. Many of these applications require the relatively sensitive drive electronics be located in an environmentally controlled electronic equipment bay. In contrast, the electric motor is remotely located elsewhere on the airframe. Often a significant distance exists between the drive electronics and the electric motor located elsewhere in the airframe. The reliability of this type of architecture is dependent on the airframe harnessing and its ability to deliver the signals between the drive electronics and the motor.
One such system is an aircraft's electric brake (eBrake) that can include four or even eight actuators that are driven by a single drive electronic component such as an electric brake actuator controller (EBAC). The eBrake and the EBAC can be separated by roughly 100 feet of harness. Due to the number or parts and distance between them, failure detection of a fault that occurs at one of the actuators or in the harnessing can be difficult to detect accurately. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a system and method for improving the detection of system faults.